Having spent three decades helping franchisees evaluate prospective investments, Terry Powell has noticed a monumental shift in the industry. The days of franchisees signing on the dotted line with little more than a review of the royalties, franchise fee, and total investment have largely...

Magic sort of loses its luster with age. Rarely does one find the right occasion to use the term magical as an adult—after a first date, perhaps, or to describe an experience at a concert or a vacation. There is one place, though, where—by design—the magic never seems to die. Walt Disney Parks and...

For quick-serve brands, giving back to the community can extend beyond donating food and fighting hunger. Two brands have found that supporting childhood literacy is not only a worthy investment in the next generation, but it’s also good for business.
In 2007, the National Endowment for the Arts...

The quick-service restaurant industry is built on the delivery of food—and data.
The former is obvious, complemented by the physical layout and the queue of customers, standing or seated, waiting, respectively, to place their orders or receive their meals. But the latter is the proverbial secret...

More Americans are showing a desire to eat healthier foods, both at home and when dining out. And Panera Bread wants to satisfy that desire. This fall, the fast-casual leader will roll out new menu items and continue to purge its menu of artificial additives, an evolution that will see greater...

The Mexican limited-service space might seem overcrowded with concepts, both old and new, but Levy Acquisition Corp. thought the category could still stand for some saturation.
On Tuesday, the acquisition company that had been seeking a restaurant partner completed its merger with Del Taco....

From the time Robert Ly could hold something in his hands, he was washing dishes at his family’s restaurant. Born to parents who had escaped communist Vietnam, he started his training in the restaurant world early, helping out at his parents’ side from the age of seven. By the time he was 14, he...

For 15 years, The Long Room was a cozy tavern in Chicago’s Ravenswood community. Now the neighborhood bar is making strong strides into the food and coffee scene with an unusual service model.
Within The Long Room, a concession window named Sidecar at LR will serve up breakfast, lunch, dinner, and...

Starbucks Coffee Company today announced an elevated digital news experience for the Starbucks mobile app, the result of an expanded relationship with The New York Times Company, which publishes one of the most widely read and authoritative news publications in the world. As part of the...

Starbucks is bringing back a customer favorite, the Mocha Coconut Frappuccino blended beverage. It’s available beginning on July 23 in participating U.S. and Canada Starbucks stores while supplies last.

Mocha Coconut Frappuccino blended beverage is made with Starbucks signature...

Villa Enterprises, global multi-brand restaurant operator and franchisor, announced they have renamed South Philly Steaks & Fries, and redesigned the popular, nearly thirty-year-old quick serve restaurant concept to South Philly Cheesesteaks & Fries. When the new South Philly Cheesesteak...

Brevard Achievement Center (BAC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency headquartered in Rockledge, Florida, that serves people with disabilities, announced that it will bring the first of five Teriyaki Madness restaurants to Florida under the ownership of Brevard Achievement Center Franchise LLC (BAC...

Penn Station East Coast Subs, the fast-casual restaurant known for its grilled, made-to-order sub sandwiches, will celebrate its annual “Fry Day” Thursday, July 16, by giving away the brand’s signature made-to-order, fresh-cut fries with any sub purchase.

The overall perception of quick-service restaurants has trended downward as a category with Subway still managing to maintain its brand as the top achiever for the period. Subway decided to forgo the use of artificial ingredients in its menu and showed America how much it loved guacamole by...

For 15-year-old Michael Kincade, his dream of meeting Mike Trout, MVP center fielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, got a little sweeter when Chronic Tacos helped fulfill his wish by donating the opportunity to throw the honorary first pitch of the June 23 Angels game against the Houston...

Blimpie, the iconic American sandwich chain, has recently announced the Everything Italian promotion, featuring a flavorful new bread paired with several of Blimpie's delicious subs. This limited-time offer will begin on July 6 and run through October 5.

As most of the food industry knows, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced an extension to the rule released last year requiring that restaurant chains and retailers provide customers with calorie counts on available food and beverages by December 1, 2015.Now restaurants have an e

Regular readers of this column know that for some years now, I’ve been dispensing suggestions on how quick-serve chains can do more to court millions of Millennials, aka members of Generation Y, whose adventurous palates, curious minds, and unconventional tastes have often made them elusive qu